The Approach
The Oddfellows team have a very clear sense of their brand and their products, which is particularly apparent when they commissioned the images of the hotel. Their strong imagery is what drives a lot of the appeal of the website; Large header images that focus on the beautiful, vibrant design details of the hotel have an immediate visual impact. Users’ time is valuable, so the content is pared back to the information they are looking for, accompanied with large call to action buttons for bookings and enquiries. Hovering over images displays short messaging compliant with the hotel’s branding colours and icons also draw the eye to key elements such as table reservations, specials and gift vouchers.
Conversion is always a significant concern and it was important that the key calls to action were ever-present, while not sacrificing the unique style of the website. Placing the booking panel in the right of the header image with arrival and departure dates in large font were integral to the intuitive design. In tests we conducted on other websites, having the dates preselected on the booking widget resulted in 27% more reservations being completed. The panel is on all pages of the website so that the user doesn’t have to navigate to another page when they’ve decided to book. We matched this with a ‘Quick Book’ option that appears at the bottom of the page as the user scrolls. On mobile, the navigation moves to the bottom with clear icons, making it easier for mobile users to click with their thumb. The booking engine is also responsive and images of the rooms easily differentiate the options available at the booking stage.
Read more: Engaging New Designs for Hotels
